Holding On
by Symphony.In.The.Abyss
Summary: Sequel to Holding Out. Continued NaoNat. AU. Nao's POV still. Nao and Natsuki arrive in America to spend more time with each other and to get Nao cured. But as things get hectic, seems like its going to be a long trip.
1. Chapter 1

**Holding On**

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_**A/N: Okay, so first of all, I'd like to thank all who have been with me through Holding Out. Remember, this is the sequel so you're going to have to read the first one in order to understand some things. I hope you all enjoy this, just so you know, this will have a more...Satisfying ending. So no third part. Just saying this now. 8D**_

_"This"__** is english.**_

"This"_** is japanese.**_

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**DISCLAIMER: As much as I would want to, I don't own this anime. The story's plot is my idea, but the characters and their personailities all belong to their creators. So don't sue me. 8D**

_**YES, THIS WILL CONTINUE AS NAO'S POV**_

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**Chapter 1: The English Language**

**---**

Oh how comfortable this is. I've never been on an airplane, so I have no idea what the 'lowerclass' part is like. BUt this upperclass part is SWEET. Natsuki's looking a little stressed while looking through some english tutorals. Damn, I completely forgot that they'll be speaking english. I hope we don't get humiliated and automatically are labeled 'Tourists'. Luckily we'll be getting a translator for the more important parts like my check ups. I have no idea what she looks like, but apparently she's my age and her name is Nina Wang. I wonder how she'll be like?

_"C-Can y-you tell me w-where the w-washroom facility i-is?" _Natsuki mumbled outloud. Her japanese accent was so obvious, it was kinda funky. She continued practicing phrases and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What?" she asked, her language automatically turning back to japanese.

"Can't you just say _'washroom' _and not _'washroom facility'_?" I ask, trying a little english myself. I'd say that I'm pretty good.

_"'Washroom'?" _she said in english, her eyes then facing her book again. Wow, I should've realized this before, but Natsuki attempting to speak english is rather sexy.

"_Can you tell me where the washroom is?" _I ask to one of the flight attendants. Yes, this is an American Airline so this is where we can practice. We understand english, I guess, but its hard to speak it back.

_"Over there miss," _the woman said with a kind smile. I smiled back and sat up.

"Thank you-_ Er...Thank you," _I said. Damn, its going to be difficult remembering to speak english.

"Smooth," I hear Natsuki whisper from her seat. I growl and begin to walk towards the washroom.

---

As I walk towards the washroom I hear many english with japanese accents. Some sounded stiff, some sounded very smooth. Opening the door then locking it, I sit on the toilet and try some phrases.

_"That asshole is stepping on my shoe,"_ I repeat in english with a slight smirk. The english swear words are so interesting.

_"My napkin has fallen on the floor," _I repeat again now finishing my business, _"May I have a drink?" _Haha, my english voice with japanese accent is rather sexy as well.

_"I like your outfit,"_ I continue to repeat now opening the door.

_"Thanks,"_ I hear. I jump, oops, someone heard me.

Now that the door was fully opened, I see a girl who is slightly shorter than me. She fashioned pigtails with braids on both sides of her head. Her hair was a shade of blue similar to Natsuki's and her face looked professional.

"No problem," I respond. Whoops, that was in japanese, _"Er I mean 'No problem'."_

She shook her head, "It's okay, I know japanese."

"Oh," I respond, not moving an inch, "Er..." I say awkwardly, _"I'm Nao Yuuki," _I remember that in America, you say your surname last.

_"Nina Wang," _she responds, "Now, may you please excuse me?"

I stare at her, she's Nina Wang? So they think that we're completely hopeless when it comes to the english language? How cruel. Yet in a way, considerate.

"S-Sure..." I repond moving, "Please, come see me at seat 36 when you're done."

As we switched positions she rose an eyebrow at me, "Um, what business do you have with me?"

"You're our translator," I respond, "We hired you because we have important errands in America."

"Oh," Nina responds, her eyes widening, then softening, "So you are the sick child who is with Kuga-san?" she asks. I twitch, me, a child?

"Um, I believe we are the same age, well actually I'm older," I say crossing my arms, "I am certainly not a child, in fact I skipped being a child."

"Ah, I see," she responds sternly, yet politely, "I will meet you at your seat. That is, when I am finished with my business here."

I nod at her and give her a little wave. With that I wander back to our seats and see Natsuki drinking tea with earphones in her ears. Well obviously.

"Natsuki?" I mutter, taking my seat next to her, "What are you listening to?"

She pauses and takes a sip. Taking out an earphone she turns to me with an aggravated face, "I decided to listen to some english phrases so I'd get used to hearing it, thus making sure that my accent doesn't seem too obvious."

"Ah," I say grabbing her cup from her and finishing the tea that was inside, "But Natsuki, your accent makes your english sound very sexy."

She quickly turned pink at my remark and grabbed the emty tea cup from my hands, "S-Shut up," she mutters putting the earphone back on.

"Aww, my Natsuki is so adorable when she's pissed," I say with a playful tone poking the girl's forehead. I then turn to my side and look for Nina to come. Staring down the aisle for a while, I begin to see her emerge from the washroom doors and walk over here.

-

"Yuuki-san," she says, standing before me then taking a bow. She looks to see who sits beside me, and a smile is placed on her face, "Kuga-san."

So, they're in familiar terms with each other. I turn to Natsuki and take one of her earphones off and blow softly into her ear. I smirk as she shivers and turns to me with a red face.

"What is it Nao?" she asks with a half embarrassed and half angered tone. I begin to laugh then quiet down when Nina lets out a little cough. Natsuki's blush faded and on her face was a smile, "Nina."

"It's been a while Kuga-san," Nina greets with her smile still on her face. I see no blushing, so this girl has no feelings for my Natsuki.

"Yes it has," Natsuki responds, "Thanks again for last time."

"No problem," Nina responds with a bow, "It was an honor to serve you and Fujino-san."

Hmm, so they do have a past. I'l try prying into that later.

"I remember how shy and nervous you were," Natsuki says laughing a little after.

"It was my first time!" Nina exclaimed having a little pink on her face. She then shook her head and received that professional look again, "It's been 3 years. I've been hired many times, so right now I know 6 languages."

"How much was it before?" I ask, intrigued by that number.

"4," she responded. Wow, she's a quick learner. Then again she looks pretty determined so she probably studied all that stuff and had no fun. Well, she does know how to smile. Knowing Shizuru, they probably did do interesting things together.

"She knew english, french, japanese and tagalog," Natsuki said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Tagalog?" I asked. English was from Canada, America and such, French from France and various francophone countries, Japanese from Japan, now where's Tagalog from? Sorry for not being too worldy. I read what I could.

"It's one of the many languages in the Philippines. In fact, its the main language there," Nina replies with a serious tone in her voice.

Ah, I see. Well, that was a little pointless.

"Its good to see that you're well," Natsuki then says handing me the english book, "Thanks in advance for your future help."

"No problem," Nina responds with a bow, "I wish you good luck in America," she then turns and bows to me, "And I pray that you'll get better."

"T-Thanks," I mutter as she walks away. I then turn to Natsuki who has already put the earphones back on. I sigh, this is going to be a long trip. I open the book and start reading phrases outloud.

_"Hello, how are you? Good morning. Good night. Good afternoon. I'm hungry."_

_----------_

I yawn as we exit the airport. Natsuki calls for a taxi and we enter, on our way to the hotel that we're supposed to stay at. It wasn't too far from the hospital, I was to get check ups at least three times a week, but I wasn't going to live there. I stare out this tinted window and stare as we pass by buildings, parks and houses. America sure looked different. It was still a country, so it wasn't too different.

I turn to Natsuki who was in turn, staring out the window. She looked a little tired, so I took advantage of this and placed my head, gently on her shoulder. I felt her flinch a bit and her body became stiff. She began to relax as she turned her head to me.

"Nao," she muttered giving me one of her soft smiles, "We're almost there."

"You can so tell that I'm excited," I respond snuggling my head into her shoulder. She could feel the sarcasm in my voice and ignored it. Good old natsuki.

--

As we enter the hotel I someone who looked very, very familiar.

"Mai?!" I yell staring at a woman with orange hair, abnormaly large bust, and kind face. She was wearing a uniform and pulling around bags.

"Hmm?" she mumbles turning to me. She looked exactly like Mai except older.

_"Mai stop slacking off!"_ I hear turning to someone who looked exactly like Haruka except older. An older looking Yukino stood beside her placing her hand on her shoulder.

_"Haruka-chan, you know that Mai always works so hard,"_ Yukino comments in her soft voice. Except this time, she sounder more professional and confident.

_"Yukino! It's Haruka in public!"_ she yelled with a slight pink look in her face. They had japanese accents, but their english was pretty perfect. It appears that they still use the suffixes here.

"Natsuki those girls look like people from our old home," I mutter with a slight shocked tone. I turn to her since she didn't respond.

"Nao, look at that," she mutters pointing to two girls. One that looked like an older her except with a hair pin on one side that looked like a 'z', and the other looked like an older Shizuru. That Natsuki was wearing a uniform different from Haruka and Mai, and Shizuru is wearing a uniform similar to Yukino's. What were they? Hotel staff?

"Nao?" the other Natsuki muttered looking at me, "Juliet Nao Zhang?! You've been on break for too long!" she continued to yell. Her eyes then travelled over to my Natsuki.

"You?! You're that girl from a couple of years ago. Now you brought a girl who looks exactly like the Nao that works here? Is Japan filled with clones or something?!" Natsuki yelled.

I stared in disbelief as a girl who looked exactly like me but older walks in. She looks a little puzzled by the situation as well. I don't blame her. Oh man, this is going to be a looooong trip.

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A/N: She's right, this is going to be a loooooong trip. :) I hope that last part didn't get you confused, but think of Otome meeting HiME and you'll understand. Almost like in the manga version of HiME and Otome. Except they keep their personalities, and are not from an alternate universe. 8D

Review! I won't be able to update as often, I have a lot of work now. So it won't be as quick as the first one. Also, my birthday is on Saturday!!! I'm finally turning 14!!! 8D

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_**A/N: **_


	2. Chapter 2

**Holding On**

_**A/N: Hey all, thanks for the reviews! I loved them, glad you're on board for this idea. xD**_

_"This"__** is english.**_

"This"_** is japanese.**_

**DISCLAIMER: As much as I would want to, I don't own this anime. The story's plot is my idea, but the characters and their personailities all belong to their creators. So don't sue me. 8D**

_**ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!**_

**Chapter 2: Alternate Universe; USA!**

It was like staring at a mirror. Except I was sexier, and my hair looked brighter. She stared back at me for about 5 seconds before a smirk appeared on her face.

_"Wonderful, so this is the other Natsuki. Haha, and now, there's another me. You got the loud mouth, busty, or Yukino back there?"_ Nao, err Juliet asked with a slight laugh afterwards. She sounded almost exactly like me. It was a little scary, especially because I didn't understand half of that.

I turned to Natsuki who was puzzled as well. She shook her head, "Um, Kruger, can Juliet speak Japanese?"

"She was born and raised here," Kruger replied. That must've been her last name.

"Viola now," the older Shizuru said. Her voice had that same, soothing accent. She could speak Japanese pretty well.

Kruger turned faintly red, even though she was older, it looked almost as adorable as my own Natsuki's blushing face. Natsuki rose her eyebrow, "So your relationship is official? Congratulations." I saw a smirk appear on her face. I shrugged and turned to my couterpart who was leaning against the wall with a slightly annoyed look on her face. I wonder if I get to talk to her later.

_"Yukino! What the hell are they saying?"_ Haruka yelled, why did she have the accent, yet not speak the language?

_"They're just telling them about their marriage,"_ Yukino replied with a smile. She then turned to me and walked closer. Her face had hints of concern. It scared me, she almost looked exactly like the Yukino I knew. "Nao right? I heard about your illness. Please enjoy your stay here, and I pray that you'll get better."

_"Yukino! Don't join them in speaking Japanese! You know I barely understand it..."_ Haruka complained, scratching the back of her head at the end.

I quickly thanked Yukino as she walked over to Haruka, _"It's okay Haruka-chan, I'll translate if you ever need me to."_

Haruka let out a sigh, then crossed her arms with a pout, _"Fine."_ Wow, she's more submissive to Yukino here. That's a little funny, I have got to tell them this with my first letter.

_"Ms. Armitage! Ms. Chysant!"_ yelled a girlish voice. This girl sounded about 16. I turned to the direction where the voice came from and I stare at a girl with strange hair that made her look like an ant.

_"Ms. Yumemiya,"_ Yukino greeted, _"What is it that you want?"_ Haruka turned to the ant like girl with a curious face right after.

_"Nina-chan has arrived, where are the 'special guests'?"_ Yukino turned to give Arinko a better view of us. That's great, we're 'special guests'. I wonder if she meant that in a good way. I stared as she waved hysterically at us, boy did she look like a total klutz. how could I tell? Meh, it's just instinct.

The door from which Arinko, which means ant if you didn't know, came out of opened once more to reveal a familiar face.

_"Nina-chan!"_ Arinko screamed squeezing Nina in a hug. Nina gave an annoyed face but simply brushed it off professionally.

_"A-Arika...Hello,"_ she muttered with her serious tone. Does she always address her friends like that?

"_You're such a meany Ni-na-chan..."_ Arinko said poking Nina in the side. I rose an eyebrow as Nina twitched. Ah so that's how close they were...It must be her weak spot. Like how Natsuki's is...

_"Arika!"_ Haruka yelled, _"Prepare our guests' room."_

_"Okay Ms!"_ she exclaimed happily. My, how obediant. Before walking out she waved bye to Nina, Nina simply giving her a glare. I turned to my Natsuki and placed my arm around hers, bringing myself closer to her.

_"Natsuki...I'm tired,"_ I whine using my most childish voice. I smirked seeing Natsuki sigh and roll her eyes. Viola giggled at the sight, Kruger turning slightly red as well as Juliet. I turned to see Yukino and Haruka speaking to Nina.

_"Juliet!"_ an angered voice shouted. Juliet turned to the door that was behind her.

_"Nice meeting you two, now I have work to do..."_ with a bow she escaped behind the door.

_"Nina will show you to your room, in fact, she will be staying in your room in case. Will that be okay?"_ Kruger asked with a professional look. She was, I assumed, the manager of the hotel. Such prestige.

"Um, excuse me?" Natsuki asked, I would like to say the same thing.

"She just said that I will be showing you to our room. Just like last time," Nina responded, a lighter tone than before. By Kami-sama, my Natsuki is quite lovable!

"I see," Natsuki replied, "Come on Natsuki, we can go to our room so you can sleep."

"Will you be staying with me?" I asked using my childish voice again, drawing circles on her stomach, "Please?"

"O-Of course Nao," she replied. I knew it was going to work. I turned to Nina who was raising her eyebrow at me, then strangely, she stiffled a laugh. I could hear a giggle coming from behind us.

"Ara, this girl is a natural," Shizuru muttered. We started walking as I wondered whether that was a compliment or not

I think I'm about to faint. My body still feels weak from our flight here. I'm soooo glad I get to rest up in such a lovely suite. When we reach our assigned room I rush to the room and jump into bed. I drifted onto sleep with Natsuki lying next to me. I knew she wasn't going to sleep as well. She knew exactly what to do to make my own sleep relaxing.

About an hour or two later I wake up to see Natsuki and Nina chatting it up while unpacking our things. Natsuki doesn't notice me awake so I pretend to sleep while listening on in the conversation.

"Viola-sama, well the both of them run this hotel quite well now," Nina said with a friendly tone.

"When did they finally decide to get together? Viola would always tell Shizuru stories that made me a little scared."

"About a month ago. The wedding was rather magical. I haven't seen the manager so happy. But I did feel a little sorry for Nao-sempai," there was a slight sadness in her voice. Was she referring to Juliet?

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked with a hint of concern.

"Well Nao-sempai...Don't tell her I told you this, and don't you go telling anyone-"

"Don't worry Nina, I won't," Natsuki replied interrupting Nina's quick speech.

"T-Thanks," Nina responded, "Anyways, only Arika and I know this but, Nao-sempai has feeling for the manager."

"You're kidding," Natsuki replied. This alternate world was a little scary. I would hate to be in Juliet's position, having lost someone. I wonder if Kruger is exactly like my Natsuki, and if I'm anything like Juliet. This world called America is a little messed...But I'm sure I'll get used to it.

**_A/N: Hey thar! I can't apologize, because what you get is what you get. can't rush a person with a busy schedule, that's just mean. DX Review please, I promise this will be continued eventually._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Holding On**

_**A/N: HOOOLLYYYY CRAP! So I just spent the day reading Holding Out since I've finally watched Mai Otome Sifr the other day. It's been three years since an update, and I would like to grace you with some 8D Hopefully my writing has improved!**_

_**You know the drill...italics is english!**_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, zip, natta.**

**Chapter 3: What If?**

I continue to pretend that I am sleeping as the room grows in an eerie silence. I bite my bottom lip and try my best to avoid imagining what life would be like if I didn't confess to Natsuki and she ended up together with Shizuru. Oh the slightest thought made me shiver and I made note to never wander to that scene again.

The two finished packing in silence, I can see Natsuki glancing over at me every once in a while as well. I tugged on the blanket and held it closer to me, pretending that things were fine, but really, I could feel for that duplicate of me. I almost started crying.

Before I try to return to my previous state of rest, there's a faint knock on the door and I hear a very loud voice come from the other side. It was loud and cheery, followed by a soft mumbling.

Nina opened the door to reveal Arinko and a busty blonde girl. She was blushing slightly and bowed automatically when she saw Natsuki. I figured by now that pretending to sleep was useless so I acted out the process of waking up. Stretch, yawn, you know the drill.

Arinko noticed right away and waved at me, I nodded at her advance and Natsuki turned to give me a smile.

"What's with all this noise?" I ask, sounding tired, which surprisingly didn't take much effort.

_"Hello Ms. Yuuki, Ms. Kuga!"_ exclaimed Arinko, "_I'm Arika Yumemiya and this is Erstin Ho!"_

I stare as the two comically attempt to walk over to my side and fall on top of Nina. I try to hide my laughter but a smirk dominates anyway.

_"Pleased to meet you,"_ I respond, thinking that my english is just getting better and better.

"These two will be the ones tending to you two," states Natsuki, giving them a rather off look. I could tell that she found them amusing as well as much as she'd rather not admit.

_"Pleased to be of service!"_ the two cried out in unison. Erstin had almost no traces of a japanese accent but I could tell that Arika couldn't help herself at all.

I stared as the two started talking to Nina afterward, it was obvious that they haven't seen her in a while. Natsuki came over to my bedside and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" she asks, I feel as if she's asking more to reassure herself.

"It's weird," i start, recalling all the clones that we were exposed to in the lobby, "But I'll get used to it. The other Natsuki looks more stuck up than you so I doubt I'd ever mix you up."

The girl before me sighed and let out a soft laugh, "It took me forever to get used to it the last time I came here, although we didn't stay for that long. I just never thought of Shizuru that way you know? And those two are always flirting and giving our Shizuru ideas."

I rolled my eyes at the thought, then my attention was stolen as the three girls all stood before us in a line.

_"Is there anything you need Ms. Yuuki?"_ asks the blonde one. I liked her tone of voice, it was softer and not as annoying, and not as cold as her friends.

_"No thank you,"_ I reply, _"I think I want to explore the hotel though."_

I get up carefully with Natsuki giving me a hand up. I'm not as weak as before but it sure is pleasant when my lover acts so gentlemanly. I award her with a light peck on the cheek and I see all three of the girls' cheeks softly go pink.

_"It's so weird," _mutters Arinko but Nina covers her mouth before she continues.

"You two go back to work, I'll give Ms. Yuuki the tour." The two nod and immedietely leave, Erstin giving me a slightly longer glance.

"I'm going to finish up here," muttered Natsuki, I could tell that she really meant that she was going to take a nap, "Nina, take good care of Nao, she could be a real trouble maker, and if she gets too excited she'll have an attack."

"Geez, I'm not a kid," I mumble underneath my breath, "And Nina, call me Nao."

She simply nodded in response and led me out the door. I blow a soft, teasing kiss at Natsuki and leave with the gift of a blushing face and with my camera. I needed to take pictures of these doppelgangers, maybe they won't even appear when the picture is printed out?

We walked casually throughout the hotel, all sorts of languages being spoken, english with a thick accent being the most dominant. I was amazed to see the diversity of the hotel and sort of shocked as well. I've never seen people so dark, people with such big eyes, and it was my first time seeing a really really fat person, or rather, obese.

It was at that moment that I made it another goal in life to go travelling. There are probably a whole bunch of things I've never seen before. maybe my perspective on human beings would change.

I then flinch as we pass by the two Violas. The older Natsuki looked so much more mature than my own and I couldn't help but feel a bit of heat go to my head. Hasn't anyone ever told you that maturity is down right sexy?

Shizuru gives me an obviously fake smile with a hint of animosity behind it. What's her problem? She has this Natsuki, they're married for Christ's sake! But I guess she's like me. There's this slight fire in my heart from seeing them together. I clench my fist tighter when someone interrupts my fantasy of cutting off this Shizuru's head.

"Nao?" Nina mutters. Oh, jealousy you got me.

"It's nothing, keep on going."

She continues our tour and we finally reach the top of the building. There's a park on the roof and I just can't believe it. I've seen it plenty of times around Japan and on TV but never up close like this! I'm currently absorbing the aesthetics of this place and Nina's cell rings. She answers the phone and excuses herself.

"Don't worry about me Nina, I can find my way back." She hesitates for a moment, but I raise my eyebrow at her then smirk for reassurance.

It's down right gorgeous and I make notes to take Natsuki up here later when the sun starts to set. Pity that we can't see the stars. From the airplane I noticed that America is similar to Japan in the respect of how much technology has infiltrated everything.

As I walk through the plants I quickly lose interest in the beauty of mother nature. It was grand at first but I was feeling a little antsy. Then, from the corner of my eye I see a familar hair cut and feel myself drawn to it. In an instant I felt like I was standing before my own twin. She frowns at me and raises her eyebrow curiously and I show her an imitation of her expression.

_"This is so freaky,"_ we both say at the same time, however I said it in Japanese. She's standing against a tree and I assume that she's on a break. I cross my arms and analyse her carefully. I make another mental note to not try the maid business, as wonderfully sexy as I am, I simply don't like that look on me.

_"What do you want?"_ she finally spits out, interrupting my mental notes.

_"My, my, I guess you are similar to me, the fiestyness is a gift isn't it?" _I retort, my mouth growing wider in size. She rolls her eyes at me.

_"If you don't want anything then go away."_

_"Geez,"_ I fake being hurt, _"Why are you so cruel to me?"_

She growls at my behaviour, probably angered further. _"What?_" I then ask, turning the mood to serious, _"Don't tell me you're jealous of me?"_

Her gasp is sharp and painful and I can see the flame in her eyes become brighter. She swallows hard and looks away from me, I can see her hands trembling.

_"As, creepy as this is, and as real as this probably is," _I start, neither of us looking at each other. _"And knowing so much how lucky I am to have Natsuki," _I could tell the name was a taboo by how she reacted, _"It makes me so mad when I see the happy couple."_

_"You think you're mad?"_ she finally responds, our eyes connecting. I swear there's a ripple in the sky whenever we have contact like this, _"You have no idea what I've been through my whole life."_

It's true, and I don't even want to imagine, but I want to know, I have to know. What if? What if I never got Natsuki in the end.

_"How long is your break?"_ I ask, "I wouldn't want you skipping work, although-

_"I'm not on a break," _she responds quickly, chuckling at her rebellious attitude, _"I just don't want to work, especially not after this."_

_"I don't blame you," _I reply,_ "Now since you have the time, mind telling me more about myself? I mean, yourself?"_

I wonder if us being the same person...sort of makes us compatible or not. I know I've always loved myself but I'm a little scared that in reality I'm not going to like this. However, I'm not letting my identity be taken by her, she is Juliet and I am Nao. We make look similar, sound similar and act similar and even have the same tastes, but we're two completely different people. And so are those other clones, that other Shizuru, that other Natsuki, and I won't let that bother me.

Hopefully if I keep telling myself that it'll come true.

**_A/N: Miss me?_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Holding On**

_**A/N: ehem**_

_**For this chapter, it's all english, mostly because it'll mostly be Juliet talking. mostly.**_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, zip, natta.**

**Chapter 4: Juliet Nao Zhang**

We're staring at each other, and I think I've come at ease to facing someone who looks exactly like me. And damn, as narcisstic as this sounds, I'm pretty good looking. I've decided that this is completely different from looking at a mirror, but it displeases me how easy it is to tell that Juliet isn't happy at all.

"To start off, I hate being called Juliet, but I'll let you call me that since it'll be really confusing for the both of us." She wasn't looking at me while she said this, apparently there was something extremely captivating in her nails. I had a feeling that she wasn't going to be looking at me at all. Sure, the Violas looked about 10 years older than my Natsuki and Shizuru but this Nao looked almost exactly my age. It was probably even creepier for her to stare at me while telling her story, which is strange cause I hate talking to people without looking them straight in the eye. But if she prefered it to be this way then so be it.

"What's wrong with Juliet?" I ask, recalling how similar the name is to my guitar. I didn't mind the name too much, westernized names always seemed too plain to me though.

"I just don't like it," she replies simply, rolling her eyes lazily in response.

I let out a shallow sigh, I guess there won't be a change in emotion anytime soon, "Okay get on with it."

She took in a deep breath, she sure knows how to be dramatic, "I was basically raised in this hotel by that old hag Ms. Maria." I tried recalling her name but I don't think I've met her yet. "She taught me proper etiquette, how to fold a towel yatta yatta, so I was basically stuck in this hotel my whole life." It was a huge hotel, and the Kruger branch was famous here and back in Japan. I was surprised, yet not surprised, that Natsuki could afford it. "So my only company would be the workers here including those damned Viola women." It's funny, no matter how much vigor was in her words as she muttered that last name you could tell there was some sort of flash of pain resonating behind them. "So, since you are me you know that we don't like sitting still or well, following orders all the time." True but, "I was obedient when I had to be." Yeahup, clone, I wonder if God thought that this was funny?

"Well, you were far better off than me," I mutter, a soft but confident smirk gracing my features, "I was homeless until about a year or so ago."

She gave me a sort of spectacled look, and I could swear that a coat of concern was washing over those green eyes. "Sorry about that," she muttered quietly, and her eyes averted away from mine.

"It's nothing," I retorted quickly, "Just get on with it." I didn't need anyone feeling sorry for me, especially not Juliet.

As she went on with the story, time seemed to pass by like it was nothing. I could barely feel myself breathe as I listened to her talk about growing up. She had an interesting childhood, she claims to like mischief, I never really got much time to explore that part of myself. She'd leave rooms half clean or even seduce those staying in for extra pay. But I'm very relieved to hear that she's still a virgin, I'm not entirely sure why.

"And Natsuki, she was always there to scold me," her tone of voice was like nothing I've heard before. It was captivating almost, how much hurt and desire was tied into that one sentence. She took a pause and I inched a little closer, feeling like it'd help if I could hear better but I was fooling myself. She kept up a strong front as she told me of the arguments she and her Natsuki have had, but her lips were trembling, just a little.

"Fuck," she muttered, "I hate feeling so vulnerable, can we stop here?" Her breathing was a little uneven, but if I were to look closely I swear there was a tear or two in her eyes. She did very well to hide it.

About an hour had passed since she started her stories and really, I feel for her. There's this crick in my neck from sitting on the grass and staring up as Juliet simply leant against the tree. That Kruger is as dense as my Kuga, but this one already had feelings for Shizuru. I guess I was lucky? More or less.

"You know, with our good looks you have a lot of other choices out there," I say without thinking, knowing that a statement like that wouldn't help anyone but just fill in the silence. She snorted, a sound I've never produced before and hope to never produce again. With a light chuckle she sat down on the cool grass to get on my level. Her eyes were finally connecting to mine for longer than a second.

"I know that," she finally spits out, "Probably in more detail than you little me." Her tone of voice bothered me, but I was relieved to see that all traces of weakness disappeared. It was, like I've said before, like looking in a mirror. When she felt sad, i automatically felt sad. Or wait, maybe this was just empathy.

"What do you know about me?" I retort with a little vigor. As true as the statement she made, I couldn't help but feel a little angered.

"Enough," was her simple retaliation, and a familiar smirk was worn immedietely after.

Before I could reply we both snickered and started laughing, not entirely sure why or how we ended up like this. I just hoped that it would help her just a bit. Afterwards we decided to take advantage of our solitude and talked about random things like food and our favourite colours; surprisingly we shared the same ones.

"I wonder if we're twins seperated at birth," I pondered out loud, finding the clouds to be interesting with its odd colours. The sun was starting to set.

"I doubt it," she answered, wondering what I found so interesting in the sky as she stared with an inquiring yet annoyed facial expression. "You're probably younger than me and you were all the way in Japan while I was born here."

I now wonder if she knows that I was just saying that figuritively, but shrugging it off nonetheless. Silence grew between us again as I contemplate how awesome my english is, or well, maybe Juliet is just used to FOBs and I think that I sound really pro. Although they do say that it's easier to pick up languages at a young age. Stretching, I reach for those oddly coloured clouds and feeling the light breeze, feeling really relaxed. Sitting here with Juliet made me believe that America wouldn't be so bad.

"NAO!"

My name was repeated over and over again, the two of us turned towards the origins of the bellowing and looked at each other, curious as to who was calling us.

"Nao, where are you?" the voice was much clearer now and I could feel myself shiver at the familiar sound. I could tell now that the holder of the voice was not looking for me. Mostly because _my_ Natsuki's english is not perfect at all.

Juliet frowned at the sound and I could see a vivid sort of pink in her cheeks, she cast her eyes towards me and I stood up immedietely after. We looked at each other as our minds clicked and we both formed a very Nao-like smirk.

"Yes?" we both said at once, Nao relinquishing herself of her uniform so that she looked as casual as myself. We hoped greatly that Ms. Kruger doesn't remember what my outfit looked like.

We both wore the same, fake smile, and Juliet was leaning a bit so she looked to be about my height. After a long three hours of talking, we felt like a little practical joke would make us both feel better for the rest of the day. Especially if the joke was on our favourite blue haired gal. With her maid uniform off I was amazed at how much more we looked alike, oh well, the closer we look physically, the more work the manager of the hotel has. Still, I found it the most amusing that out of all the people to possibly fetch Juliet, we'd be lucky enough to have older Natsuki be our first victim. We winked at each other as the blue haired older beauty finally came over to our little area. I could tell this wasn't going to be the last time we attempt this.

She clearly looked angry before she caught the both of us, her face looked so focus and so serious. I hope this doesn't count as cheating. Forgive me Natsuki!

As she suddenly realized that there was more than one troublesome red head, the angry look she wore tore away in an instant. Her facial expression is priceless.

**_A/N: 8D Review please!_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Holding On**

_**A/N: Okay so, italics is english like before. **_

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, zip, natta.**

**Chapter 5: School**

Her eyes go back and forth quickly and Juliet and I look at each other with a smirk. Kruger lets out a sigh and shakes me head, trying to get rid of the shock.

_"When the two of you are like this, it really is aggravating to know that there's another Nao out there."_

I wait patiently for her to continue, and I wonder if she can guess which one is which correctly.

_"But at the same time, you two actually do look really different." _Her tone was softer than I expected and it almost reminded me of my Natsuki. Both Juliet and I sigh in disappointment as Kruger puts her hand on top of the head of the correct Nao. "I guess it's because I'm so used to this one," she directs this statement at me, and I think that Juliet actually understood that bit of Japanese.

I guess this Natsuki was as oblivious as mine, because the red in Juliet's cheeks seemed almost to match the colour in her hair.

_"It's not my fault I had the unfortunate disability to grow up around you,"_ she retorts, trying her best to hide her flushed face.

The two begin to argue as we walk towards the inside of the hotel again, and I can't help but think that this was how everyday and every conversation was like for them. I don't know if I feel entirely sorry for Juliet anymore, they seemed to be really close in some sense. This operation was a failure, maybe in the future we can trick someone else...

I'm back in my room again with my head resting on Natsuki's stomach. The older woman was taking a nap from probably finishing unpacking. All our suitcases were neatly packed away in the corner, and the room was spotless. Glancing at the clock, I notice that it's almost time for dinner.

"Nat-su-ki-cha~n," I say ever so slowly and sweetly, raising my cub's shirt a little, circling my finger around her belly button. I feel her shiver under my touch, but she doesn't wake up. I continue my finger dance along her abdomen, creeping my way towards her fairly sized chest. When I finally come across some tender skin-

"AHH!" she screams, turning over quickly and falling off the bed every so gracefully. My mouth curls into a smirk and I completely satisfied with what I have accomplished, even clapping a little for myself.

_"Mission complete." _it sounded cooler in english.

"NAO!" my wolf cub roars, quickly getting up. Her hair was a little frazzled, as most hair if when you wake up. If you asked me, I'd say that her bed head was pretty sexy.

I tugged on her shirt and brought her closer to me, her face coated with surprise. Gently I place a kiss on her lips and wrap my arms around her waste. She kisses me back just as gently, and her face is a tomato red. Putting her arms around my waste she pulls me close and I find myself stroking her hair.

"You make me so agitated sometimes," she says quietly, I can feel a hint of that agitation in her voice, "Sometimes I wonder why I love you."

I stop stroking her hair and let my fingers dance along her back, "Maybe it's because," I can feel her shivering again under my touch, "I'm such a good lover."

Her shivering stops and she pulls away from me, tilting my head up to face hers. Her pale face looks serious, concerned and still managing to glow kind of red.

"Nao, I hope you realize that throughout this whole trip we can't really..." is she too embarrassed to say it? Oh well.

"Have sex, I know," I finish her sentence, rather loudly as well. Her blush reaches her ears and she brings her hand to cover up my mouth, telling me to lower my voice. I lick her hand in order to get her to let go and laugh at her embarrassment.

"Anyway," she continues, trying again to be serious, "a-as much as I...want to." I can't help but feel a little pink run through my cheeks as she says this, "We can't do much until we find out more about your sickness. You know you could have an attack from...that."

I roll my eyes. Natsuki and I have been together for a while now, and I'm not like her at all, I can openly admit that I really want my first time to come. I really want to be that intimate with her, I really want to, as awkward as it sounds, make love to her. But this stupid sickness of mine, if I get too excited I might get an attack...but

"We don't know that yet!" I yelled out, pushing her over, crawling on top of her figure, "You never know until we try!"

When I try to kiss her, she turns her head away from mine. Feeling a little hurt, I retract my body and lie next to her instead.

"You're a meanie," I mutter softly, ticked off at my lack of a sex life.

"Nao..." she replies, "You know I-"

"Want it as badly as I do, I know," I like wording things like that, it makes her more embarrassed. Really, it's cute how she cares about me so much, but it wouldn't hurt if she was a little more daring. I mean, it's not like those attacks are anything new to me. But my Natsuki is such a worriwart, I don't think we'll get anywhere.

Putting my hand over her stomach, I tug on her to pull her closer. She starts stroking my hair softly, "I really hope you'll get well Nao."

"I know."

There is a light knock on my door and I suddenly remember that it's dinner time. Natsuki calls out for Nina to come in and we all head towards the dining room of the hotel.

It's really busy down here, the majority of the people staying here are eating happily, the majority of the workers are running around, and me, I'm hanging onto my Natsuki's arm while following Nina to our own private room. They're being wary of too much noise possibly giving me an attack.

In this private room, dinner is laid beautifully on the table and Arika and Erstin are standing off to the side in butler outfits.

"The three of us have eaten already, so just let these two tend to your needs," Nina says politely and sterly as usual, I just stare at the food. The smell of it reminded me of home for some reason.

_"Did chef Mai cook all this?"_ Natsuki asked, answering the question that lingered in my head. Nina nodded at Natsuki's question, and the girl looked at me to see if I was okay. I wink at her teasingly, and she rolls her eyes in return.

Eating dinner went by like usual, the two of us talking about random things, except this time we had spectators. Arika especially seemed really interested in our conversation, although I doubt she understood a word of our Japanese. I don't blame her, I gave my brain a real work out earlier when I was listening to Juliet. It was a miracle, really, how I managed to understand the majority of what she said. And I could swear she was holding back her laughter when I spoke in english. Oh man, I wonder what school will be like. Oh yeah...

"Natsuki, when will I be starting school?"

The blue haired girl finishes her glass of water and Arika quickly refills it. Thanking the smaller girl, she turns back to me, "Well, tomorrow actually. You'll be in the same class as these three in fact." She points at Arika, Erstin and Nina and I nod. I don't mind, really, but I can't say for sure whether I'd really get along with any of them.

"We did our best to make sure your teacher knew japanese as well, since the school you're going to is so diverse. Actually, you'll be very surprised to find out who it is..."

I cross my arms and scrunch my nose, wondering who this person could possibly be. We finish our dinner and make our way upstairs, me being more affectionate to feed the stares we were getting from the hotel staff and Natsuki constantly asking me to stop it, of course, not actually making an effort to stop me afterwards. Natsuki turns off the lights in our room and we watch American television for the next 2 hours. Not much conversation goes on as I still try to guess who my teacher could possibly be.

It's now 10 PM and Natsuki reminds me that we'll be waking up early the next day and softly kisses my forehead. I don't even take the time to appreciate the blush on her cheeks as I still have no idea who my teacher could be.

As I introduce myself to my class, I just can't help but stare at the woman behind bold frame glasses who is smirking terribly at me.

_"Okay Nao, sit down~"_ she snickers at how similar my name sounds to the english word and how it fits so nicely into that sentence.

_"Yes, Ms. Sugiura." _I bow awkwardly and take my seat behind Arika and in front of a glasses-less clone of Chie. This Midori who is my teacher isn't actually a clone. With the way she's so familiar with me, and with the excitement that was painted on her face the second I stepped into her class, I just knew it was _that_ Midori.

Joy. No, really.

**_A/N: Thanks for the ongoing support guys! If you're interested, I have a ChieAoi AU fic out now!_**


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